It was a crisp day, the first chilly day of the changing season. The sun was shining brightly in much of the country and the usual buzz of life was alive and well. It was early morning and people everywhere were bustling about, getting their days started as they headed off to class, work or for their morning coffee run. The day was just like any other; a perfect, end-of-summer day.
One particular young woman was finishing up her first class of the day. She planned to run a quick errand before her next class began when she noticed a group of students slowly growing in numbers, huddled around a large television that sat in the commons of her university. As she neared the group, she heard the news anchor’s voice bellow through the speakers…
“A passenger airliner has crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.”
The television panned to a helicopter view of the north tower. Black smoke and flames poured from the top of the skyscraper and filled the screen. Without even realizing, the entire group of students had their hands cupped over their mouths as they hemmed and hawed in disbelief. It was a reaction that people were having all across the world, at the exact same moment in time.
The young woman stumbled for her keys, she needed to get home immediately. As she fumbled with the books in her arm trying never to take her eyes off the television screen, she watched as a second plane slammed into tower two. She was thousands of miles away from New York City, and yet in that moment, it seemed the entire world had imploded.
After the first plane hit, people tried desperately to understand what had happened. It must have been a tragic accident, something went terribly wrong in the air. Once the second plane hit, a wave of somber terror washed over Americans all across the country. This wasn’t an accident. This was done with intention.
__________
As airliners were being grounded all across the country, two additional planes were still unaccounted for and had cut off communication with air traffic control. It was clear that what was happening was a terrorist attack. The race to reach those two uncommunicative jets was on.
Just 34 minutes after the second plane hit the second tower, a third plane crashed into the United States Pentagon.
Just 22 minutes later, the south tower of the World Trade Center would collapse with countless people trapped inside.
The fourth plane would never make it to its intended target, believed to be the United States Capitol Building after a group of passengers helped to overpower the hijackers. The plane would eventually crash near Shanksville, PA thanks to the heroic efforts of these four men:
Shortly after the crash of the fourth plane, the North Tower would also collapse to its studs.
Today, on the 20th anniversary of this fateful day, the FurRescue Crew honors the fallen. Thousands of lives were lost in the span of just three hours. Their legacy will never be forgotten and they live on in our hearts forever.
The Fallen
2996 Total lives have been lost because of the September 11th, 2001 attacks.
Among the Fallen
6,000 additional people were injured during the attacks.
Thank you to the civilians and first responders who paid the ultimate price. Your sacrifice is a debt we will never be able to repay.
